PITTSBURGH, PA--(Marketwire - May 07, 2012) - Neuro Kinetics, Inc. (NKI) (www.neuro-kinetics.com), global manufacturers and marketers of precision eye-tracking and noninvasive medical diagnostic equipment used primarily for neurophysiologic and neuro-otologic testing, said today that it will partner with the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine's Wilmer Eye Institute in clinical trials of I-Portal® Retinopathy, the company's new diabetic retinopathy diagnostic device.

The upcoming clinical trials at Johns Hopkins complement clinical trials of the ophthalmic diagnostic device now underway at the University of California Los Angeles' (UCLA's) Jules Stein Eye Institute.

NKI said that its alliance with Johns Hopkins stems from a recently expanded Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant awarded to the company by the National Institutes of Health. The controlled-population clinical trials are expected to begin this month and last for about one year, and will be conducted under a Hopkins' Institutional Review Board.

"We look forward to working with the Wilmer Eye Institute and continuing our clinical trials with the Jules Stein Eye Institute," said J. Howison Schroder, NKI CEO and president. "We see great potential for NKI's I-Portal Retinopathy's non-invasive, objective and cost-effective technology. We are honored to have the support of two such notable institutions."

Diabetic retinopathy, a leading cause of blindness in working adults, is a condition that damages the eye's retina due to high blood glucose levels. About seven million people in the United States alone suffer from diabetic retinopathy and close to half of them remain undiagnosed. Diabetic retinopathy can be an early indicator of diabetes.

Schroeder said that as the crisis of diabetes grows unabated, the need for more accurate and earlier detection of diabetic retinopathy is imperative.

"Clearly, the world's healthcare systems face a real challenge in confronting diabetes," he said. "Our goal is build on our I-Portal technology's demonstrated success in detecting disease and offer new diagnostic solutions for diabetic retinopathy and other retinal disease sufferers and those who care for them."

ABOUT NEURO KINETICS, INC.

Neuro Kinetics, Inc. (NKI) is the world leader in eye-tracking technology and non-invasive neuro-otologic diagnostic testing. Central to its product mix and technological advances is the premise that the eye is the portal to the brain. Research has shown the detection of abnormal eye reflexes can indicate the presence of more than 200 diseases and medical conditions.

For more than 25 years, NKI has supplied comprehensive neuro-otologic diagnostic tools to audiologists, ENTs, neuro-otologists, neuro-ophthalmologists and neurologists around the globe. The company's patented products include the I-Portal® NOTC (Neuro-Otologic Test Center), I-Portal® VNG (Video Nystagmography) and I-Portal® VOG (Video Oculography), along with related accessories, software, training and support services.